LESSON 2: EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

The emotions of man are intricately connected with his will and his thoughts. Indeed, they are so closely knit that the “division of soul (emotions and thoughts) and spirit” is only possible by the word of God; Truth! So says the Gospel.

The core lesson for us is this: You are not your feelings or the thoughts that flow in the ether. Let Truth under-gird who you are, and not your feelings or fleeting thoughts. 

In this ‘evil age’, we tend to internalize the externals. Life has been reduced to the material, so our moods swing like a yo-yo. Buoyant when we have stuff and deflated when we don’t. Even for stuff that we do not really need. These mood swings only build stress within, which is harmful to both body and productivity.

Your well being, spiritual, emotional and physical, all start from this one rule:

“Be anxious for nothing… ” Gospel

Stress from anxiety is the leading cause of illnesses. So we are now told. But over 3000 years ago, Aryuvedic sages discovered this powerful link between the mind and body. The ‘mind’ (thoughts and emotions) is powerful and controls the body. That is the basis of Ayurverdic medicine or Ayurveda, which is translated literally as ‘the wisdom of life’. 

Until recently, this knowledge of the connection between our emotions and productivity was at best vague. But numerous studies have concluded that our emotions have a great influence on our total well-being and productivity. 

The emotions of love, joy, gratitude have very positive effects on our physical well-being and also on our outputs in life. While fear, anxiety and worry have the opposite effect.

The Torah enjoins us to serve God with ‘gladness of heart’;  and the Gospel instructs us to ‘rejoice always’ for a reason: 

God loves us and has given us “all things richly to enjoy”. Gospel

The truly important ‘things’ our ours already; air to breath, earth to give increase to our seeds and life itself. But we destroy them, and ourselves by our lusts: ‘the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh and the pride of life’, as the Gospel puts it.  

When we see righteously, ‘as we ought to’, with insight, and recall the goodness of God, then we can be joyful, rather than stressful.

And “a joyful heart is good medicine”    

Joy and peace  are attributes of the Kingdom of God. They come with the Truth package!

“The Kingdom of God is not meat and drink… but righteousness (Truth), peace and joy… ” Gospel

The Truth of God for us is the Blessing. This truth creates confidence and courage within. These in turn, enable us to ‘look’ for and to ‘see’ the good rather than the bad in life.

For, “what we see depends mainly on what we look for.”  Sir John Lubbock

That is strange but true.  We ‘see’ more of whatever we are looking for. Look for good and you will see more of good. Look for bad and you will see more of bad. 

Similarly, emotions, like thoughts, have a way of attracting their kind and repelling opposites in the ‘energy field’. That is the law of attraction. You attract your kind. Feel blue and you attract the blues. 

And a smile nearly always will invite a corresponding smile from the ‘other’. A frown, on the other hand, repels. People are generally attracted to happy, boisterous people and repelled by grouchy whiners. 

Because we are emotional beings, in contact with different other beings and thus different ‘energy fields’, the Hebrew language has no singular form for face, rather it uses the plural, faces. 

It is not hypocrisy when we relate differently to different people. We are all in ‘hiding’ and relate with the ‘other’ based on the externals, and as our relationships permit. 

But how did we get to this point of ‘hiding’ from self and one another. Why do we have this inexplicable guilt and fear in the inner man. Why do we feel emotionally vulnerable and in ‘hiding’; from God, from self and from our fellow man. The degrees may vary but these hold true for us all. Why?

The Torah gives us a context for this. As de jure ‘gods’ over the earth, Adam and Eve had a great relationship with God, ‘the God of gods’; before the fall. 

But sin, error borne of mistrust, damaged that relationship. When God ‘came down in the cool of the evening’ and asked, “Where are you?”, Adam responded:

“I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

Ever since, man has been in fear, and longing for acceptance; from God and his fellow man, irrespective of the material status. In a word, we are all longing for love! We are longing for God, who is Love!!

Man is ‘naked’, empty is the word, without love!  But we cloak our ‘nakedness’, even as Adam and Eve did, with the ‘fig leaves’ of material possessions and the unending pursuit of esteem. 

Obviously, material and esteem ‘leaves’ are insufficient to cover this emptiness. The rich and famous inexplicably are still vulnerable to this ‘nakedness’; low self-esteem and a craving for recognition! They still suffer from the effects of the fall; the shame of the ‘hidden man’. 

Adam’s sin is the root of this ‘shame’ that we all feel. The meaning of the root word for shame is, ‘to cover’. The resplendent glory of God on man has been covered, in shame, by sin; Adam’s error of choice.

Only the love of God and His glory on us can take away our shame. Nothing else will do. It is helpful to remember these truths as we seek to practice love’s greatest creed, also known as the Golden Rule:

‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’

We should know that we are all God’s beloved children, created in His “image and after (His) likeness”. But we all have ‘fallen’ vicariously, through Adam’s sin/error, and we all long for God’s love and acceptance. 

In spite of our error, God still loves mankind. You need to know, and to believe the love that God has for you personally. 

“For God so loved the world… “

When you know that you too are loved, then you will be empowered to love your fellow man. No one can give what he does not have.

Unfortunately, we seek love from our fellow man, who is himself in search for love. Many have been manipulated, used and abused in life, as a result. Because man relates with the ‘other’/’others’ in this life, more from lust than from love. 

We seek to take rather than to give. So, we relate more on the basis of what people are than on who they are. Consequently, the love of man is at best conditional. 

Man, natural man, is not lovely or loving but self seeking.

God alone loves us unconditionally, not because we are lovely, but because of who He is; ‘altogether lovely’, as a song puts it.

God is the embodiment of love and has not the need to manipulate us, so, He alone can quench our thirst for love. 

The love of God for mankind is a central message of Truth, as revealed by Jesus Christ. The least we can do is to treat one another with this understanding. 

We must strive to ‘accept’ one another irrespective of our differences. In other words, we must value self and one another, because God values us.

That does not, of course make everybody your ‘friend’. It simply means to live and let others live too, even if they don’t look like, or think like or act like you do! 

There are no guarantees that we would not offend or be offended by the ‘other’. But then again offenses are many a time the product of our imaginations. Pride, our spiritual facade, is the root of all offenses, both real and imagined!

Still, we may not control other people’s behavior but we certainly have a choice over how we behave or respond to the ‘other’.

The bottom line is that we really have no business with shame. We are bigger than our ‘problems’. For our Maker is a forgiving Father who wants it to be well with us all. Yes, everyone is important to Him!!! 

You must know and believe this Truth. It is vital to your well-being. God is not against you but for you. Do not run from the One who alone can truly help you!

And remember that it is okay that you are not ‘perfect’. No one is really. We are all on our personal ‘learning curves’. So, learn to laugh at yourself rather than seek succor in pursuits that would do you more harm; drugs, illicit sex, alcohol, the occult etc.

Choose rather to see the unconditional love of God for you and for all mankind. Then you will begin to see more positives and less of the inevitable negatives. And you will learn to bear with one another.

For ‘the wisdom of a man teaches him patience. It is to his glory to overlook an offense.’

Your ability to FORGIVE; others as well as yourself, is the very heart of emotional intelligence.

That is Solomonic wisdom. Besides, unforgiveness is more harmful to you; emotions, body and productivity. 

You can live with a forgiving disposition when you know the forgiveness of God; for you, and for the ‘other’. For we all have missed it with Him.

When this truth under girds your life, then can you…

“In all things give thanks, for this is the will of God for you…” Gospel

LESSON 3: INTELLECTUAL INTELLIGENCE

The dictionary differentiates intellect from intelligence. The one is our capacity to receive and analyze external stimuli; facts. The other is our capacity to receive and analyze the internal stimuli, ‘intuition’, to appreciate the same facts; to discern truth!

So, while emotional intelligence deals with our world based on ‘irrational’ passions, our intellect deals with the same world on another level, in a rational and dispassionate way.

Intellectual intelligence is our ability, not only to acquire and apply knowledge profitably, but to think through, whatever life challenges confront us, in the light of Truth!

For, the mind is the interface between the spirit and the material world. It is also the war zone of life. Here, material reality contends with the spiritual; and seek dominance.

But the spirit, the real You, must be dominant. It is the software that writes the program of life. The mind is just the hardware that simply runs the program.

Therefore, a key instruction for life transformation is:

‘Be not conformed to this world: but be… transformed by the renewing of your mind’. Gospel

The world and all that is in it will pass away. But ‘the word of our God (Truth) abides forever’. And man was created to live by Truth.

God, our Maker, “desires truth in the inward parts.”

Therefore, be sure to seek the knowledge of God above any other form of knowledge, so as to think like He thinks. The Gospel actually gives us a guideline on what to think about:

“Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” 

We think with our mind and we also think with our heart (the Torah and the Gospel call it the eternal rational soul in the Hebrew and Greek) but the heart remains the seat of choice. You can choose what your mind dwells on. Knowledge abounds today, and is readily available too, like at no other time in history. But remember to filter every ‘knowledge’ through the sieve of Truth:

Mere knowledge puffs up (but) love builds up, according to the Gospel. 

Essentially, Love gives, so in all your study, seek to make yourself a better giver of value, whatever the service you offer.

‘Thoughts’ are flowing over, and all around you, every moment of the day. Online and off line. 

Be that as it may. You may not control the flow, but you certainly can refuse foul thoughts perching on your head. The rule of thumb must be: are your thoughts going to bless you, and make you a blessing? In other words, will they increase your value and make society better?

That must be the goal: to be better at giving value to mankind.

Otherwise, the ‘thoughts’ you gather may do you more harm than good. Uncontrolled ‘news’, more of indoctrination really, can lead to depression. The world is full of bad news!

But you have a story. Who is telling it? Tell your story, at least to yourself. Studies show that we retain about 10-30% of what we read, hear or see from others. (We get more though as we repeat the cycle)

But we retain upwards of 70% of what we say and do, including what we have written. The act of writing, somehow, enables you to think through and sift grain from chaff. 

These statistics should encourage you to write down, and speak out your desires. Psychologists call this ‘self-talk’. 

Yes, talk Truth to yourself daily!!

And cultivate these three key habits that can transform your mind profoundly:

• Read. Reading is a mind developing habit.
• Listen. No one knows it.
• Write. 

For, reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man… Sir Francis Bacon

Action:

Cultivate a reading habit. The attention span of many is dwindling with so much to entertain their senses. Resist this temptation.

Cultivate a thinking habit. Meditation is good for the soul. Even five minutes of thinking-time daily, will do you a world of good.

‘Thoughts are things, and powerful things at that…’ Napoleon Hill

For, ‘as he thinks in his heart, so is he.’ Torah

LESSON 4: PHYSICAL INTELLIGENCE

We now know the benefit of physical wellness. But we live in a world that demands less and less of brawn. That leaves our bodies in less than tip top shape. And, use it or lose it remains the law! A few hints will suffice here.

Food. Eat well. Your body needs food to maintain health. Make it a balanced diet with lots of fruits and vegetables. Whatever God has created is ‘good and nothing is to be rejected.’ Gospel

    So, we do not subscribe to any particular food philosophy. To each, his own. But make sure you avoid gluttony; be moderate in your consumption. And if your peculiarity demands it, then certainly go for a special diet.

Water. You are more water than solids. Rehydrate adequately, whatever that means to you. Your urine should be light colored, that should be your guide.

Air. Without air, we would be dead in minutes. Because of our modern sedentary nature, we tend not to breathe deeply. Breathing exercises are good and actually help reduce stress. But there is more. Deep breathing is also a spiritual exercise.

To focus on your breathing is to focus on your Source, God, for when God created man, He breathe His breath into man.

Take in deep breaths, hold awhile and slowly exhale while meditating on the goodness of God! Do this as often as you deem fit.

Rest for your body and for your soul is vital. Rest your body through adequate sleep, whatever that means to you. Power naps, short naps in the course of the day, may be helpful when your body calls for it. 

Rest your soul through recreation. Take a break from the norm. It doesn’t have to be an expensive holiday. If you can afford that, why not? It would serve to refresh you and expand your horizon. But even a trip up country on a short break away, may be an eye opener. Or just a short break from the modern terror known as mobile phones.

Exercise. Long brisk walks are excellent. So is swimming. But any activity of your liking that causes you to work a sweat is helpful. Just do something. And that moderately.

Hygiene. We would like to take this for granted but perhaps some need to be reminded that health is wealth. Have a good body wash as often as is called for and wash especially your hands. Clip your hair, nails etc.

Chastity. This remains a virtue even in this permissive age that has turned indiscretion into a past-time. Sex as a hobby or profession is dangerous to health; physical and emotional.

Groom. Looking good is not only about the ‘other’ but about you too. When you are well turned out, it increases your confidence, thereby increasing your dare to pursue greatness.

   ‘Fame and fortune yield to the brave’, they say.

While you are at it, may I suggest you splash on a little fragrance? Foul smells are offensive to all. And, ‘you are more attractive when you smell nice’ anyway.

                                       ‘Ointment and perfume     rejoice the heart.’  Torah

You actually get two for the price of one; increased confidence and joy in the heart! 

So, ‘Spray a little happiness.’ That’s good advice from The Fragrance Shop, London.

Do whatever else you consider needful for you and seek help if you are not sure. But be deliberate about it. But thou shalt remember: physical exercise would not guarantee life, but it would improve the quality of your life.

“For bodily exercise profits a little (for a short time, this lifetime, is the Greek inference), but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.”  Gospel
LESSON 5: OCCUPATIONAl INTELLIGENCE

Occupational intelligence is the ability to discern what one has a special flair or gifting for, which also has a beneficial outcome for society. It speaks to PURPOSE.                         

A few pointers here for guidance:

1. The Natural Way: Look within, and then around you.

Your purpose in life is not esoteric knowledge. Look around you.

Wisdom is before him that has understanding. But the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth.

We all ‘see’ what we are wired for. It drives us unconsciously. Identify that ‘special thing’ that drives you; your passion. 

Are there things that you ‘see’ and do not like, but they rather annoy you? That is a good indication of what you are called to address. It could be in small or great matters. What is important is not the size of your service but the heart of service. Besides, the strength of a chain is in its weakest link. Every service adds up, no matter who gets the ‘glory’. 

Man’s reward system may be skewed but we can rest, assured that God’s reward system is not. Are you called to be a good father, or mother? Please do it with your all. You may be a conduit for some great achievements that would come through your children. And you too will yet get your ‘gold medal’ as a member of the ‘winning team’. 

Furthermore, do you ‘see’ things that are already in existence but you believe you can improve on them? Go ahead, think on these things and ‘work’ them. 

So, be open to new ideas as you travel around, if and when you have the opportunity. Do not be a mere ‘looker’ or just a ‘shopper’ of goods but also of ideas. 

Buy ideas. That is what delivers the progress that makes the world go round. Progress is the product of innovations here and there. It is the fruit of competition. 

The world may abuse and misuse competition but that word, from Latin competere, means to strive or seek together in agreement, and not necessarily to work against one another. We can all strive to make life better and be blessed together. There is enough for all!  

Read!!! There is nothing new under the sun. It has happened somewhere or is happening now. There is an explosion of knowledge right now and you can profit from it! 

Use the internet profitably to enlarge your tent. Greatness demands a responsible and balanced use of your time. Don’t play the fool, chatting life away on the net.

2. The Supernatural Way:  Ask your Maker, God. Asking questions, the right questions, is a powerful way to acquire vital knowledge. There is no better person to ask than God Almighty Himself about what you were born to be and to do. This is the supernatural way to acquiring knowledge. 

Dr. George Washington Carver, famous African American scientist, once told the US Congress that God ‘taught’ him to invent  dozens of  products from peanuts, soybean and sweet potatoes! 

How? they asked him. “Through the Bible’, he replied. Is there a reference to peanut in the Bible? they further queried. No, he said. But the author of the Book created peanuts and gave him understanding.

If any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives liberally without upbraiding.

If you are still not sure what your call is, then give yourself diligently to whatever your hand finds to do. That is diligence, a powerful spiritual force that opens doors in the material world.

“Do you see a man who is diligent in his business? He shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.”

Diligence is applying yourself to the task at hand and doing it as well as you can. It is the mindset of excellence. Therefore, whatever the occupation/vocation, pursue excellence as a core value. 

Get better daily; in big or little things, but especially the little things; they ultimately add up.

UNIT 3: LESSON 6

RELATIONAL INTELLIGENCE

One of the greatest skills we can and should master, is people skills; the ability to get along with and influence people positively. People matter and people are complex.

The first three streams of personal transformation speak to our nature. But people and our influence on one another speak to nurture. We are spirits, or energies to scientists and Eastern religionists, and the ‘energy’ for our growth or decay comes from the people in our ‘world’.

‘As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend’.

When people interact, they create an energy field, rather like magnets. When such interactions are positive, we talk of synergy; the creation of a whole that is greater than the simple sum of its parts. 

As usual, mankind has attempted to reason it out, but this is just another spiritual principle:

And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. 

There is nothing more powerful than unity of purpose! Our greatest achievements in life, therefore, will come through working with people. Same with our greatest ‘failures’. 

We are wired for community and no person ‘is an island entire of himself’. John Donne

Principle: ‘It is not good for man to be alone’

It may surprise you that the preceding five streams may mean nothing after all, if we do not master this vital skill. We have dealt with some aspects of this under emotional intelligence. 

The area of interest now is in the relationships we keep and ultimately the community we form. People can make or break you.

‘A friend of the wise will be wise but a companion of fools shall suffer many blows.’ 

There is no self-made man. We are all products of many inputs from many other people. Be careful who is sowing into your life.

In his highly acclaimed book, The Power of the Other (I highly recommend the book), Dr. Henry Cloud talks about the different kinds of relationships and how they affect us, one and all, in our pursuit of success.

He groups these relationships into 4 Corners. Essentially, we have in Corner 1, lone rangers, people who think they can run alone but never run far enough, but burn out instead. 

In Corner 2, we have the negative controlling relationships that keep people on a chase to please others yet ending up empty and abused, pleasing none. These are the abusive relationships of all kinds. 

In Corner 3, we have escapist relationships of fleeting but destructive ‘highs’, through all sorts of addictions including drugs, sexual affairs and all manner of perversions. 

Lastly, in Corner 4, we have the supportive relationships that release us to fulfilling our best and highest potentials.

The task therefore, is to seek beneficial relationships where we can both give and take; Corner 4 relationships. 

The key attributes of Corner 4 relationships are:

Freedom. We are open about our need and to seek help from the ‘other’ or ‘others’ in this Corner.

Ownership and responsibility. We are free to take ownership, to be responsible for the outcomes of our decisions and ultimately for our lives.

Support. We are challenged to reach for the sky.

Accountability. We are accountable, in love, to the ‘other/others’.

Truth is, we are social creatures and while a lot depends on our nature, ‘who’ we are; our nurture, our growth, comes from without, that intangible energy, that comes from being part of a community. 

That is what drives the mystery we call growth; for no one knows how or when it happens. It is also the mysterious route to discovery of Personhood. An African proverb puts it a little differently:

It takes a village to grow a person.

We must seek to add value to people even as we seek to be valued. Speak a kind word, offer a helping hand, give affirmation etc. All these go to growing the other; and by default, self. And as you grow, make sure to help the ‘others’ in your life, along.

“When you are converted”, Jesus said, “strengthen your brethren.”

Many motivational speakers talk about hanging out only with ‘achievers. There is nothing wrong with hanging out with achievers. But never abandon your old friends for material considerations only.

Only for attitude must you consider moving on. You leave the unwilling alone. They have chosen to be ignorant.

“Let the ignorant remain ignorant still.” Gospel

But be intentional about adding value to someone daily. And watch yourself grow in fulfillment!

LESSON 7: FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE

This stream of life is vital but we shall look at it last, and hopefully, in a proper context. 

Money is a lubricant that oils the engine of society. So, money is important. But only as a means of exchange for our different gifts and talents’ and the goods and services that are the outcomes. But no more. Unfortunately, money has been put before all else; even life! 

Money, or rather mammon, the god behind money, seeks our worship, the worship that rightly belongs to our God. Mammon is but satan, the devil, and the ‘god of this age’. 

And he is behind the “love… (of) the world, and all that is in the world; the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life”, as the Gospel puts it. 

Lusts, not love, drive the money craze. And the root of it all is our spiritual ‘shame’. Materialism is man’s quest for a covering for our emptiness. That is the basis for our fixation with luxury. ‘Vanity of vanities’, the wise King Solomon called it. Who needs a 500,000$ watch? 

The inordinate pursuit of the material has driven God out of the hearts and minds of men. Money may, and indeed ‘answers everything’, according to the Torah. But that is ‘everything’ but life. 

God alone gives life, and He alone deserves our worship where worship matters; the heart. 

“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

God seeks our hearts – “my son give me your heart’, Torah – so that we may live in His ‘way of Truth’.  

These 3 truths we must remember: 

1. “It is not good for man to be alone.” Torah

Community is the will of God. In community, our needs and wants are best met, as we bring our different gifts and talents to bear on them. To live alone, even in opulence, is to die a slow death.

2.  “And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.” Gospel

Contentment is the goal, as we all have all of our needs met.

As it is written:

“Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough.”’  Torah and the Gospel

3. ‘Shalom shalom’, peace within and peace without, is God’s desired outcome for us all in community.

Not ‘fighting without’ and ‘fears within’.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace (shalom shalom in the Hebrew) and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”

To be clear, money itself, representative of material stuff, is not evil. After all, God blessed us with the material – everything in the earth – for our shalom. Rather, the ‘love of money (materialism) is the root of all evil.’ Gospel

God says the problem is ‘wrong belief’. 

If and when we truly understand the preceding six streams of intelligence, we shall put money in its right place; working for us rather than we toiling for it! 

“Make the money work for you”, is the word I received from the Father.

There are three steps to that:

1. The basic money-working-for-you principle of financial intelligence is the ‘seed’ principle.

God has given to every man a seed or seeds; ‘to you it shall be for food/provision.’

There is something you can do, and that naturally well. You have a special talent, skill, aptitude or even sheer energy. That is a seed in your hand. 

Sow your seed by adding value to the ‘other’. Thereafter, you can expect to reap a harvest. Your own needs will  be amply met too.

In other words, look for a need you can address with your time, knowledge or special gifting.  

When you sow something of benefit into society (a seed of service say), society pays you back with a harvest of some service or product that you too need, or want. 

“Give and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.” Jesus Christ. 

Wealth, the abundance of goods and services at your disposal, is the sum harvest that you get from your ‘giving’/efforts into the community. That may well make you a billionaire. No matter. The question is, what do you then do with the billions? 

Some choose to leave their entire estate to their heirs. History is replete with such wealth being squandered. Some others bequeath their wealth to some charity or the other. Again, such are largely misused or do much less good than could have been. But there are those, like Andrew Carnegie, who believe that such great wealth be used by the creators themselves, to meet transformative needs in the community, and in their lifetime too. (Please see the download on The Gospel of Wealth by Andrew Carnegie)

This is in line with the Gospel teaching on wealth, or any other grace for that matter, as a gift from God for the good of all.

“As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” Gospel

But you must remember that you cannot get something, wealth, from nothing, zero effort.

Repeat: You cannot get wealth from zero effort!! 

Principle: ‘In all labor there is profit.’

Man has been given the charge to ‘replenish the earth’. He does that with ‘seeds’; both spiritual (word) and material. For this is the operative principle: 

Law: While the earth remains, seed time and harvest… shall not cease.

Everything we need is already in creation. Our task is to recreate, to juggle as it were, from what already exists, to meet identified needs or wants, as those needs or wants arise; or are created.

God remains the sole Source. Everyone and everything else is a resource!

Consider the mango for instance. We cannot create a mango from nothing. But we can ‘recreate/replenish’ the mango by sowing the seed to reap a mango grove. That is wealth. We may go further and ‘create’ a mango juice factory and produce more wealth. That is the pattern. It is a process which requires effort and time. Therefore:

2. Do not despise humble beginnings. Indeed, it is vital that you acknowledge and apply that which you have been endowed with, no matter how small, lest you lose it.

 “For I say unto you, that unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that ‘has not’, even that he ‘has’ shall be taken away from him.”  Jesus Christ

There is a huge difference between little and nothing. That difference is usually revealed in time. Even the tiniest of seeds, the ‘grain of mustard seed’ eventually becomes a tree with birds lodging in its branches; in time!

So, learn to value your seed and bide your time.

3. Learn to manage your harvest. In your harvest, you will have both ‘bread for food’ and more ‘seeds’ to sow (Gospel). 

The ability to set aside a portion of the harvest/profit for consumption and a portion for repeating the cycle is the essence of wealth management. 

Repeating the cycle of sowing fresh seeds, guarantees fresh harvests, and ultimately, great wealth.

“The wise have wealth and luxury, but fools spend whatever they get.”

To consume the entire harvest is to get nothing to look forward to in the next cycle. On the other hand, to ‘sow’ the entire harvest, is to have nothing to feed on for sustenance until the next cycle. One may die of starvation!! 

There is and must be a balance. Wealth management speaks to that balance. You must avoid what economists call the income effect; the temptation to expand your tastes and consumption habits to consume the increase of the harvest. 

You must plan and manage your wealth, no matter the size. 

The world has several ideas out there on how to manage your wealth. There is the 50/30/20 rule for instance. You use up 50% of your income to meet your basic needs, 30% to meet your wants and put 20% to savings/investments. 

That’s good advice from the natural perspective. But God has a better, albeit counter intuitive, rule: 10/90 rule. 

Give a tenth back to the Giver; God.

“A tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit, is the Lord’s, and is holy.” Torah

And you may use the rest as you please, according to your adopted spending plan.

In this fallen world, we do not have a level playing field. It is God’s rule that you give the first tenth back to Him. Why? you ask, since God does not need our money. 

It’s a matter of the heart. Giving the first tenth, tithe in the Torah, simply acknowledges God as your Source. It is also in tandem with the law of ‘giving’. You will surely be given back by men. 

You may give this ‘tenth’ as a seed, to any of the following, according to the Torah:

1. Your priests, through whom you receive spiritual nourishment.
2. The poor and needy, including orphans and ‘strangers’ in your community.
3. Lastly on self/family as a commemorative celebration of God’s goodness to you, as prescribed by the Lord himself.

In general, the more seeds you sow, the bigger the harvest, all things being equal. This enables you to buy and sow other kinds of seeds for multiple and diverse harvests, or streams of income. This is the process of wealth building.  

Start wherever you are and continue the cycle. Over time, you will build a ‘fortune’. That’s as sure as the law. The problem is that many seek sudden riches, rather than obey the law of process or time perspective. The Torah cautions against this mindset.

Wealth hastily gotten will dwindle but the one who gathers it little by little will become rich.

Then there is the joy and thrill of constructive efforts; yes, the joy of building community for the good of all, while increasing your wealth alongside! 

So, go ahead and begin to build your fortune. The Lord is on your side. Only remember not to make the money your god, for money is a terrible and demanding god indeed; whether you have little or much. Money never satisfies, in and of itself. 

God alone must remain God indeed in your life. After all, He gave us, in the first place, all these ‘things richly to enjoy.’  Gospel

So, “seek first the Kingdom of God… all these things will be added unto you.”

The Master, Jesus Christ, said that and you can take it to the bank!!